28.4.10

baby update - 20 weeks...

I am halfway through the pregnancy with baby boy!!! Which means, in another 20 weeks, I may already have my little lovie in my arms! What an amazing feeling. I am so ready for him to be here. He still is growing and has a lot more growing to do, so he's got to stay in there for awhile! But I want to see him and hold him and know he is just fine. :)This week, baby boy is the size of a cantelope!

Honestly, this seems a little big in my opinion. Maybe the cantelopes I've held are just big ones. I think my belly would be a whole lot bigger if he really was the size of the cantelopes that I've seen before.

At this point, baby boy is definitely a boy. His "man parts" are fully developed, though things will continue to change after he is born in that department. :) Little lovie man is swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He is also producing tiny amounts of meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels up until the time of birth and will be seen in his first dirty diaper, though some babies pass this right before birth or during delivery.

My sweet baby boy is kicking up a storm, of course. :) I can't really tell if I'm feeling him on the outside or not though. I keep having these weird muscle spasms, but they are under my belly and not up where the baby is. I'm wondering if he is kicking my bladder or something. Thankfully the spasms don't last long and aren't too bothersome, though at first it freaked me out. But I still don't know if it is him yet.

In other news with Mommy's well-being, I am feeling pretty good. I have been tired alot the past week or so, but I think that is mainly because we've been moving, painting, and setting up our house. Also probably because baby boy is growing so much.

I am constantly hungry these days. I day-dream about food, even when I'm eating, lol. No new cravings...still lovin' me some big 'ole burgers. I ate 2 double cheeseburgers from Wendy's last night, haha.

One thing that I'm having is night sweats and uncomfortable sleep. My hips get so sore from lying on my side all night. The body pillow helps some, but the best help is my DH. If I lay close to him I feel more supported physically, though this causes him to be overheated, haha.

I'm also having nightmares about the baby. This is something I am asking for prayer for. The nightmares are based on irrational fears mostly (like that I'll forget to feed him when he comes), but the other dreams are about something happening to baby boy. It puts me on edge the rest of the day when I wake up. I am constantly fearful about things like getting pre-eclampsia and him coming too early, or that I won't carry to full-term because I do something wrong, or that baby boy will be stillborn. Or that I've caused him to have some kind of birth defect that the doctor can't detect. Or that he will stop moving inside me, and I won't know it in time to get to the hospital. A lot of this comes from reading other people's blogs or watching shows on television where these things have happened. As you can see, I need some serious prayers for peace. I am having a hard time trusting God with this, and I don't know why. Maybe it's because deep down, I know there is a possibility of something happening that I cannot control. So, more than anything, your prayers are coveted right now.

Well, that is about it for an update. Thank you so much for praying if you already have been or if you are praying for the nightmares and such to stop! Have a wonderful week and God bless. +

Aww sounds like things are coming along and you are doing great! :) Don't worry between now and about 25 weeks you should be able to definitely feel him kicking. I remember I was around week 25 when things definitely started picking up!

As for the nightmares, no fun, but definitely normal. After I miscarried my first, I was so scared for this pregnancy, but as it went on I realized it was all in God's hands there is nothing I can do to stop things from happening if that is in God's will. Worrying about it will only make you more stressed which is bad for the baby. I know it's hard, but I hope God grants you the peace you need, as He has done for me. It took almost my entire pregnancy, but I am trusting Him now, and know everything will be ok!

Sometimes the uncomfortable feelings physically at night can cause our dreams to take a negative turn too -- it's kind of a working out between the conscious and unconscious parts of us. The nightmares are very normal and I am willing to bet that the vast majority of mothers have had them at least once, if not more. I know I have had them!

Now, when you begin to get fearful over the dreams remember this -- the Lord who conquered death itself and has all authority of life, death, illness and wellness is the Lord you put your faith in. Is there anything you can not trust to him? Absolutely not!

This is actually the first phase of letting go of your gift and putting him solely in the hands of the Lord. Your little one is a gift and you will be blessed to care for this most precious of gifts, but the gift ultimately belongs to the Father. Trust Him. His providence will always be there... even when we are standing on uncertain ground and when we are facing things that are unknown. (((hugs)))

I don't know if this will make you feel better, but it is pretty much impossible to forget to feed your baby...they always remind you! On top of that, they can go without a few meals with very little ill-effect. I was trying to breastfeed and wasn't producing very much...I sat in a chair watching Food Network with Sammy attached to me for about 3 months straight. He was trying to eat but was losing weight (that's when we switched to formula). Despite my NOT feeding him very much for months, and then feeding him formula (which we all know is pretty much rat poison) he didn't starve, and he's perfectly healthy now. Just saying, often the worst-case scenario in these situations isn't as bad as it's cracked out to be, and babies are pretty resilient, surprisingly.

I had a reoccurring nightmare before he was born that I accidentally put him in the dishwasher while I was doing dishes. It didn't happen.

I'm a stay-at-home Mom living in the south with the love of my life DH (darling husband) and beautiful son who has special needs. After completing my Masters in Christian Education and teaching, I am now a coordinator for a foreign exchange student program, future aspiring author, occasional freelance writer, and dreamer of one day being a long-term missionary. I love reading, cooking, learning how to live healthier, and talking about my faith.